WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� has had as many as seven private phone calls with since leaving office and secretly sent the Russian president COVID-19 test machines during the height of the pandemic, Bob Woodward reported in his new book, 鈥淲ar."
The famed Watergate reporter also details President Joe Biden's frustrations with Israeli Prime Minister and Saudi Crown Prince 's assortment of burner phones. The Associated Press obtained an early copy of the book, which is due out next week.
Trump denied the reporting, telling ABC News' Jonathan Karl that Woodward is 鈥渁 storyteller. A bad one. And he鈥檚 lost his marbles.鈥�
Trump had previously spoken to Woodward for the journalist's 2021 book, 鈥淩age.鈥� Trump later sued over it, claiming Woodward never had permission to publicly release recordings of their interviews for the book. The publisher and Woodward denied his allegations.
Here is more from the new book:
Trump has had multiple calls with Putin since his White House term ended
Woodward reports that Trump asked an aide to leave his office at his Florida resort, , so that the former president could have a private call with Putin in early 2024. The aide, whom Woodward doesn鈥檛 name, said there have been multiple calls between Trump and Putin since Trump left office, perhaps as many as seven, according to the book, though it does not detail what they discussed.
Trump senior adviser and longtime aide Jason Miller told Woodward that he had not heard Trump was having calls with Putin and said, 鈥淚'd push back on that.鈥� But Miller also said, according to the book, 鈥淚鈥檓 sure they鈥檇 know how to get in touch with each other."
Steven Cheung, Trump鈥檚 communications director, said none of the stories in Woodward鈥檚 books are true. In a statement on Tuesday, he called them 鈥渢he work of a truly demented and deranged man who suffers from a debilitating case of Trump Derangement Syndrome.鈥�
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the reporting about the calls was 鈥渘ot true.鈥�
Trump's relationship with Putin has been scrutinized since his 2016 campaign for president, when he memorably called on Russia to find and make public missing emails deleted by , his Democratic opponent. 鈥淩ussia, if you鈥檙e listening, I hope you鈥檙e able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing,鈥� he said.
U.S. intelligence agencies later determined that Russia had meddled in the 2016 election to help Trump, though an investigation by special counsel found between the Trump team and Russia. In 2018, Trump publicly questioned that finding following an in-person meeting with Putin in Helsinki.
In recent years, Trump has criticized U.S. support for Ukraine as it fights off Russia鈥檚 invasion. He has to Putin before Russia invaded in 2022. He also previously touted his good relationship with Putin and called the Russian leader 鈥減retty smart鈥� for invading Ukraine.
Trump sent COVID-19 test machines to Putin for his personal use
Woodward reports that Trump sent Putin COVID-19 test machines for his personal use as the virus began spreading in 2020.
Putin told Trump not to tell anyone because people would be mad at Trump over it, but Trump said he didn鈥檛 care if anyone knew, according to the book. Trump ended up agreeing not to tell anyone.
The book doesn鈥檛 specify when the machines were sent but describes it as being when the virus spread rapidly through Russia. It was previously reported by The Associated Press and other agencies that Trump鈥檚 administration in May 2020 ventilators and other equipment to several countries, including Russia.
鈥淭here were no secret shipments. The pandemic was starting back then," Peskov said Wednesday via a messaging app. 鈥淢any countries were exchanging equipment. We sent ventilators. Testers came from America.鈥�
Vice President Kamala Harris, in an interview Tuesday with radio host Howard Stern, accused Trump of giving the machines to a 鈥渕urderous dictator鈥� at a time when 鈥渆veryone was scrambling" to get tests.
鈥淭his person who wants to be president again, who secretly is helping out an an adversary while the American people are dying by the hundreds every day," said Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate.
Biden highlighted the report during a stop in Pennsylvania on Tuesday.
鈥淵ou see what came out today?鈥� Biden said at a fundraiser for Sen. Bob Casey. 鈥淪o he calls his good friend Putin 鈥� not a joke 鈥� and makes sure he had the tests. He had the tests.鈥�
Biden's anger at Netanyahu has boiled over in private
The book also details Biden鈥檚 complicated relationship with Netanyahu as well as private moments when the president has been fed up with him over the .
Biden鈥檚 鈥渇rustrations and distrust鈥� of Netanyahu 鈥渆rupted鈥� this past spring, Woodward writes. The president privately unleashed a profanity-laden tirade, calling him a 鈥渟on of a bitch鈥� and a 鈥渂ad f鈥斺�斺�� guy," according to the book. Biden said he felt, in Woodward鈥檚 accounting, that Netanyahu 鈥渉ad been lying to him regularly.鈥� With Netanyahu 鈥渃ontinuing to say he was going to kill every last member of Hamas.鈥� Woodward wrote, 鈥淏iden had told him that was impossible, threatening both privately and publicly to withhold offensive U.S. weapons shipment.鈥�
Biden and Netanyahu have long been acquainted, although their relationship has not been known to be close or overly friendly. Last week, Biden said he the Israeli leader was holding up a Mideast peace deal in order to influence the outcome of the 2024 U.S. presidential election.
Asked about the book's reporting, White House spokesperson Emilie Simons told reporters Tuesday that 鈥淭he commitment that we have to the state of Israel is ironclad.鈥�
Simons, when pressed on the details, said she wouldn't comment on every anecdote that may come out in reporting. She added of Biden and Netanyahu: 鈥淭hey have a long-term relationship. They have a very honest and direct relationship, and I don鈥檛 have a comment on those specific anecdotes.鈥�
Biden criticized Obama's handling of the Russian invasion of Crimea
The book details Biden鈥檚 criticism late last year of President Barack Obama鈥檚 handling of Putin鈥檚 earlier invasion of Ukraine, when Russia seized Crimea and a section of the Donbas in 2014, at a time when Biden was serving as the Democrat鈥檚 vice president.
鈥淭hey f----- up in 2014,鈥� Woodward wrote that Biden said to a close friend in December, blaming the lack of action for Putin鈥檚 actions in Ukraine. 鈥淏arack never took Putin seriously.鈥�
Biden was angry while speaking to the friend and said they 鈥渘ever should have let Putin just walk in there鈥� in 2014 and that the U.S. 鈥渄id nothing.鈥�
Biden regrets choosing Garland as attorney general
Woodward reports Biden was privately furious with Attorney General Merrick Garland for to investigate Biden鈥檚 son Hunter in a tax-and-gun prosecution.
鈥淪hould never have picked Garland,鈥� Biden told an associate, according to Woodward. The journalist did not name the associate.
Hunter Biden was on federal gun charges and faces sentencing in federal court in Delaware in December. He to federal tax charges in California and is also set to be sentenced in that case in December.
The Justice Department declined to comment.
Graham says going to Mar-a-Lago is 鈥榓 little bit like going to North Korea鈥�
One of Trump鈥檚 longest-term allies, South Carolina Sen. , blamed Trump鈥檚 ongoing false claims that the 2020 election was rigged to a cult of personality in which the former president鈥檚 ensconcement at Mar-a-Lago and circle of aides and advisers 鈥渃onstantly feed this narrative,鈥� according to the book.
The weekend after Russia invaded Ukraine, Graham was with Trump at Mar-a-Lago, which the senator characterized as 鈥渁 little bit like going to North Korea.鈥� Graham added that 鈥渆verybody stands up and claps every time Trump comes in.鈥�
On politics, Woodward wrote that Graham鈥檚 counsel was part of what persuaded Trump to run again for the presidency.
In March, during one of his many visits to the Middle East since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, Graham told Woodward that he had been meeting with the Saudi crown prince when Graham suggested they call Trump. From 鈥渁 bag containing about 50 burner phones,鈥� Prince Mohammed 鈥減ulled out one labeled 鈥楾RUMP 45.鈥欌�� On another trip, Woodward wrote, the Saudi leader retrieved another burner phone, "this time labeled 鈥� when the men called Biden鈥檚 national security adviser.
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Price reported from New York. Associated Press writers Hillel Italie in New York, Eric Tucker and Alanna Durkin Richer in Washington and Aamer Madhani aboard Air Force One contributed to this report.
Michelle L. Price And Meg Kinnard, The Associated Press
